Eddie Chen’s trajectory has largely been inspired by community and the people he admired growing up, culminating in his graduation this May from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
His older brother, David, now a medical student, took science and math courses that captured Chen’s curiosity. At Memorial High School on Madison’s west side, chemistry teacher Ann Comins helped nurture that interest and inspired Chen to pursue the field further.
Chen found himself eager to explore what could be next and what would give him a clear sense of purpose. Then during his freshman year in high school, his swim team’s captain went to the United States Naval Academy after graduation.
“That kind of sparked an idea,” Chen said. “I didn’t know that these service academies were an opportunity.”